DAIRY NEWS – Dairy calves are the future of a dairy’s milking herd and ensuring they have a healthy start is a top priority for calf managers and team members, dairy owners, veterinarians and others. The 2025 Calf Care Connection® workshops presented by Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) will highlight the stressful events that could have short- and long-term impacts on calf health and performance. Featured presenters will provide strategies to reduce risk and boost calf resilience.
Two repeating sessions of the one-day workshop will be held Wed., Oct. 22, at Arlington Ag Research Station Public Events Building in Arlington, Wis., and Thur., Oct. 23, at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, Wis. Each session runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All sessions will be presented in English with simultaneous Spanish translation.
“Calf Care Connection workshops are a unique opportunity for a dairy’s entire calf care team to learn together and gain valuable strategies and management practices that will have an impact right away,” said Laura Raatz, Oconto Falls, Wis., dairy producer and PDP board member. “Three calf-care experts will lead interactive sessions to provide new insights to even the most experienced calf managers.”
Dr. Catie Cramer, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, will present the general session, “Transportation and stress: set calves up for success.” She’ll explore key transport-associated stressors and offer a proactive list of strategies to minimize their impact, including practical tools to help ensure a smoother journey and better post-transport health.
Following the general session, all attendees will rotate through three breakout sessions:
- “Calf necropsy from the inside out,” will be presented by Dr. Franklyn Garry, DVM, coordinator of integrated livestock management and professor, Colorado State University. He will lead a clinical, hands-on examination of how stress and management decisions impact internal health, highlighting the most common causes of calf mortality. Participants will see how early-life stressors such as colostrum management, housing conditions, transport and feeding practices can lead to physiological changes that compromise calf health.
- “Precision matters with every dose,” presented by Dr. Ryan Breuer, DVM, DACVIM, diagnostic case and outreach coordinator at Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and clinical associate professor, UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, will focus on proper administration of vaccinations and treatments. Participants will learn and practice injection techniques, equipment handling and placement protocols to ensure every dose serves its intended purpose without unnecessary stress, tissue damage and long-term setbacks.
- Dr. Cramer will present “Under pressure: real-world lessons in calf stress” and walk attendees through case studies of calf stress events from subtle management missteps to major disruptions such as weather, transport or illness outbreaks. She’ll illustrate what stress looks like in a calf and how dairy teams can spot it before it leads to bigger issues.
Calf Care Connection is accredited for up to 4.5 Dairy AdvanCE (DACE) continuing education credits, up to 6.0 ARPAS continuing education credits, and up to 4.5 UW-Madison WVDL credits.
Learn more and register your team for Calf Care Connection at www.pdpw.org or by contacting PDP at 800-947-7379. Follow along digitally in advance of and during the event by following @dairyPDPW on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.
Comments